In spite of their abject failure to ‘fix things’, how come so many world leaders still think that sanctions help root out corruption?
Sanctions are the super-fertilizer that grows corruption exponentially!
I am often confused regarding the line between unfettered cynicism and outright short-sightedness or extreme stupidity.

What am I missing? Is it just the money trail?
It appears that many world leaders have great difficulty seeing beyond their noses and whatever perspective they have at that short a distance is further distorted by the size of their egos. 

Sanctions help make a lot of money for a small minority while imposing great misery on ordinary people whose opinions, thoughts, and feelings do not matter one bit to their leaders.  

The total disconnect between governments and populations in some countries seems to totally escape the attention of those imposing the sanctions. The resentment and sometimes outright hatred that is generated by the imposition of sanctions does not necessarily get directed at the government being sanctioned but instead, at those imposing the sanctions in the first place. It is a gamble that results in chaos and not in more effective governance.

So the question arises once again: “

Is it malice or is it stupidity?” 

It is hard to tell. So let me end with this quote: 

“Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence/stupidity.” Unknown

About Author

Fay Niewiadomski

I awaken leaders to purposefully discern the best way forward, with such clarity, that they find within themselves the courage, wisdom, and compassion to do what they never dared to do before.

I’ve been privileged to work closely with C-level officers, presidents, ministers, global chairman, diplomats, board members, senior business and political leaders, and their teams to successfully navigate complex, high-stakes situations and make sound business and personal decisions resulting in profound and lasting change.

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